Whoever decided that Business Causal was a good idea was a sadist.
In the olden tymes one wore office attire. For ladies this meant hose, heels, skirts, blouses and in the days of Malloy, a big, floppy bow made out of a scarf. Our handbags were small, since we didn’t have to carry anything electronic around. We looked nice.
Gentlemen wore suits, and took their jackets off in the office. Their shoes were bought at either Thom McCan or at Florshiem. There was a synergy in the world. We knew what was appropriate in our environment, and it was good.
I date “Business Casual” to the late eighties. The first time I encountered it was at a week long training session in Washington, D.C. The attire was to be “business casual” for all except one day, for that we had to be dressed in “office attire.” I went shopping trying to find appropriate items.
One thing I remember was a dress and jacket that I bought at Banana Republic. The dress was a fitted shift, with wooden buttons down the front, a band at the small of the back, anchored with wooden buttons and the jacket was the same design as a denim jacket, complete with snaps, but in the same floral as the dress. I also had to buy shoes to match.
I loved the outfit, but let’s face it, there was NEVER an appropriate occasion to wear it. First of all, don’t buy a dress with buttons up the front because you are only a movement away from disaster. First the button goes flying, then people can see your underwear. So it’s no good for work. You can’t wear it to a club, it’s a bit too casual. I spent $135.00 on the outfit and I kept it for a decade. I might have worn it twice. More’s the pity.
I showed up in our Nation’s Capital with the most astonishing assortment of clothing. None of it quite right. I kicked myself when I saw a colleague of mine wearing her suit skirts with turtlenecks all week. It wasn’t quite right either, but at least she didn’t go out and spend thousands of dollars on shit she’d never wear again. Dammit!
That’s the problem with “business casual” there’s no good definition of what it IS. I can tell you what it’s not.
Jeans
Hot Pants
Track Suits
Raggedy stuff
Sneakers
Juicy Couture
Tennis Dresses
Club wear
Men LOVE “business casual” because they have a uniform: khakis and a golf shirt. How easy is that? Buy five pairs of pants and assorted shirts and you’re covered. One suit for when Corporate comes to visit the office. Done.
Women could conceivably wear khakis and golf shirts, but it’s not really comfortable and it doesn’t look all that nice.
So here we are twenty years after the phrase was coined and it’s very difficult to find any American business enforcing an “office attire” policy. I remember when I worked for MCI and we showed up in our suits at a warehouse for a sales call. One of the wags working a forklift announced our arrival, “Hey Joe! The FBI’s here!” Ha. Ha.
When I worked for BellSouth in Nashville, Friday was casual day. That meant you could wear jeans. Technically our office was “business casual” but my boss wore a suit four days a week, “dressing for the job he wanted.” (The joke was on him though; the guy in the job he wanted wore short sleeves and no tie.) He hinted that his direct reports should also “dress for the jobs they wanted.” I threatened to come to work in a bathrobe. Didn’t go over too well.
It used to be that when you were in sales that you dressed like the executives you were meeting with. Hence the suits. But now CEO’s wear flip-flops and cut-offs. So you have to find a happy medium. There’s a medium alright, but I’m not sure I’m all that happy.
So what do I wear to work? Lots of comfortable outfits. I don’t wear pantyhose any more. Although I have a drawer FULL of them, just in case. I wear slacks and blouses, skirts and blouses. Cute little dresses, with sweaters, in case the A/C is too cold. I have lots and lots of outfits now, more summer clothes than winter clothes, but a nice assortment just the same.
One thing I’ve noticed is that what we spend on clothing hasn’t changed, but the amount and quality of that clothing has changed. We used to spend significant amounts of money on high quality suits, paying to have them tailored to fit properly. I asked someone in a department store how much they charged for alterations and I got a blank look. Because of the expense we had fewer outfits, but they were of much better quality and lasted for more than one season. The same with shoes. Now our expectation is that our clothes and shoes are good for one, maybe two seasons, then we’re off to replenish our wardrobes with more disposable outfits.
Now we buy more off the rack. The looks are faddish, young and frankly a bit cheap. I do okay at rotating things out of my closet that I don’t wear. My rule is that if I didn’t wear it last season, it’s gone. An item in my closet is usually there for 3 years. Although if it’s too trendy or too crappy looking I have no problem donating it to charity.
I like summer clothes better than winter clothes. In winter I have to wear pants which aren’t as comfy as skirts, because you can’t go bare-legged in cold weather and tights and hose look weird nowadays.
So why is it that I shop, week after week, chasing down one last item to make my wardrobe perfect? I wish I knew.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Consultants. Parasites.
Our company is of the size where it is attractive for the PTB (Powers That Be) to buy shrink-wrapped software solutions. We have inventory that is tracked with RFI and associated software. We clock in with one program. We manage our sales contacts with another. We cobble reports together from Excel spreadsheets stored and updated on the shared drive.
On one hand, it works, on the other, it’s completely dysfunctional.
I have the power of perspective. Coming from a very large company with many legacy systems, some nearly 50 years old, I know what real, honest dysfunction is.
It’s a matter of adoption. I get the impression that my employer has ADD when it comes to technology. We dabble a bit with this, check out a bit of that, and most people have the opinion that if you wait long enough you’ll never have to deal with the current technology, since we’ll be onto the next cool, new, thing.
Our IT guy wants to shift from one Customer Relationship Manager to another. This is where the “consultants” come in.
My previous experience has been that Consultants are hired, dispassionate third-parties who evaluate your current systems and make costly recommendations that the PTB choose not to do.
This week we’ve had the Consultants in, and they are, as Morbo says, “Numerous and Belligerent.” Well, maybe not belligerent, but certainly biased. Should we be concerned that they are a Microsoft Platinum Partner?
We spent 10 hours in a room with them, each department giving a presentation explaining their operations, their ‘pain points’ and their wish lists for the prospective new software. It was incredibly professional. We hauled out the big projector, put the presentations on animated PowerPoints and catered breakfast, lunch and snacks. People flew in from all the different offices to be here.
The Consultant contingent was comprised of 5 people. FIVE! Is that how many you need? Really? We sat there discussing the things that frustrate us and they took copious notes. Then they put it on the flip chart paper, tore it off and posted on the wall. I felt like I was trapped in a cheesy sales video. “Now how would you prioritize these issues?”
I piped up and asked, “Gosh, this seems so integrated, shouldn’t we be looking at an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) instead of a CRM? The head Consultant smiled indulgently at me and said, “Well, yes, I think that’s the direction we’re going in.” Yuk. If it’s an ERP then we’re 24 months away from anything usable. In the meantime, I’m studying up on how to add to and upgrade our existing CRM. Two years is a ways off in the future and I’m not banking on anything.
On one hand, it works, on the other, it’s completely dysfunctional.
I have the power of perspective. Coming from a very large company with many legacy systems, some nearly 50 years old, I know what real, honest dysfunction is.
It’s a matter of adoption. I get the impression that my employer has ADD when it comes to technology. We dabble a bit with this, check out a bit of that, and most people have the opinion that if you wait long enough you’ll never have to deal with the current technology, since we’ll be onto the next cool, new, thing.
Our IT guy wants to shift from one Customer Relationship Manager to another. This is where the “consultants” come in.
My previous experience has been that Consultants are hired, dispassionate third-parties who evaluate your current systems and make costly recommendations that the PTB choose not to do.
This week we’ve had the Consultants in, and they are, as Morbo says, “Numerous and Belligerent.” Well, maybe not belligerent, but certainly biased. Should we be concerned that they are a Microsoft Platinum Partner?
We spent 10 hours in a room with them, each department giving a presentation explaining their operations, their ‘pain points’ and their wish lists for the prospective new software. It was incredibly professional. We hauled out the big projector, put the presentations on animated PowerPoints and catered breakfast, lunch and snacks. People flew in from all the different offices to be here.
The Consultant contingent was comprised of 5 people. FIVE! Is that how many you need? Really? We sat there discussing the things that frustrate us and they took copious notes. Then they put it on the flip chart paper, tore it off and posted on the wall. I felt like I was trapped in a cheesy sales video. “Now how would you prioritize these issues?”
I piped up and asked, “Gosh, this seems so integrated, shouldn’t we be looking at an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) instead of a CRM? The head Consultant smiled indulgently at me and said, “Well, yes, I think that’s the direction we’re going in.” Yuk. If it’s an ERP then we’re 24 months away from anything usable. In the meantime, I’m studying up on how to add to and upgrade our existing CRM. Two years is a ways off in the future and I’m not banking on anything.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
20 Thing that have changed in business in the last 25 years.
As I was replacing the toilet paper in the stall just now, it occurred to me that a LOT has changed in American business in the past 25 years.
I started my actual working life at MCI in April 1984, exactly 25 years ago. I had three years of college behind me and I dropped out due to dismal grades, depression and the desire to move with my family in California, rather than remain in Arizona, alone.
I had taken a series of odd and temp jobs with an eye towards something more permanent. I searched the want ads in the Sunday paper and I saw an ad for a Customer Service job, starting at $6.00 per hour, part-time, with benefits.
I had a system for answering ads back then. I eschewed the dinky or amateurish ad, preferring the ones obviously placed by larger corporations. I mailed them a copy of my resume and got a fairly prompt phone call in return. I put on a navy blue skirt, a white blouse and drove the circumference of the Earth to get to my interview.
(I’m looking at all of the anachronisms in just the past two paragraphs. Wow, I’m old.)
I aced the interview and thus began my foray into Corporate America.
Here is a list of stuff that has changed. Some things have changed for the better, some, not. It’s random, just as I’m thinking of it.
1. Janitorial service used to be every day, not just one day per week. That meant you could put really stinky stuff in your trash can and the guys would just take care of it for you. Also, mopping, sweeping, vacuuming and all that other stuff would occur, so you wouldn’t have crud under your feet when you were working.
2. Office furniture used to be really ugly and uncomfortable.
3. Dumb Terminals were used to display computerized records. The screen was black and the text was either green or orange. Turn it off at night or else an image would burn into the CRT.
4. There was no email. Seriously. Memos were distributed on paper, by someone. The first email I ever used was MCIMail. It wasn’t windows based; you had to start your email with slash codes and stuff. You couldn’t send one to anyone who didn’t work at the company.
5. There was a lot of goofing off. It wasn’t dicking around on Facebook, or updating a blog, but it involved walking around with an empty manila folder, as though you were on your way to someone important with something important. You would stop in the break room and BS with someone there, chit-chat with your buddies, or just go outside for a minute for some fresh air.
6. There were a lot of committees back in the day. At the phone company it was called the Sunshine Club. Monthly contributions were made and the committee would see to it that you had cake on your birthday and presents for weddings and births and flowers for funerals. I’m still conflicted about whether or not I miss this. I do miss assembling in the conference room for cake though. No one does that any more.
7. No one would look at you twice if you ordered a glass of wine at lunch. Make it a bottle if you were with a customer.
8. You could smoke at your desk. Even in California.
9. Your boss was your boss. Not your semi-equal colleague with different responsibilities. He or she was higher up on the totem-pole and you knew all about the chain of command. There was not an open door policy.
10. Watch your personal calls. It was the office phone and the office phone bill. There was a phone in the break room for local personal calls. Except that Rick was always on it, talking to his wife about some stupid shit.
11. My headset weighed about six pounds.
12. Word processing was in its infancy, the first program I learned was Word Perfect and when I printed, it came out on paper fed through the printer on two spools. You had to tear the ends off of your paper and separate the pages where they were perforated. There was one font, it was ugly.
13. You could only use the Word Processing for big projects (or for my homework after 5:00 PM.) If you need to type something, you can use that Selectric over there. Oh, and my MS Word doesn’t recognize Selectric as a word. Fuck Me.
14. One of the guys in the office sold coke. No one saw this as a problem.
15. You had to dress up in office attire for work, including pantyhose and heels. (If you were female.) You could wear slacks, if you could find them. Men had to wear long sleeved shirts and ties. Malloy’s Dress for Success made the work day long and uncomfortable for many, many people.
16. The work day was actually 7.5 hours, 9:00 to 5:00 with an hour for lunch and two 15 minute breaks. Try and leave at five now and some smart ass will say, “Working Half Days?”
17. There were a lot more people working then. Typists to type, mail room types to deal with correspondence, receptionists to answer phones and route calls, secretaries to see to the needs of the bosses. Now titles may sound better, but you work twice as much for the recognition.
18. There is a lot more micromanagement now. Mostly because technology makes it easy. Back in the day if you were out in the field, you weren’t reachable. Your boss took it on faith that you were with customers, he or she had to. Actually, I might have been at the mall, or getting a manicure, or sharing a joint with the rest of the account team in the parking lot after the meeting.
19. There were a lot of sales meetings, sales events, trips, team building, dinners and other events that cost a fortune and were very swank. You’d drive somewhere, stay in a beautiful hotel, be wined and dined and walk away from the event knowing that the company valued you and your division. I haven’t seen a good kick-off in a decade. I had a room in Monterrey one time that was directly over the bay. When I opened the window I heard the water lapping at the shore and sea lions barking. Those days are gone.
20. There was never a staff meeting on Friday afternoon. It would interrupt golf.
Okay, it’s five and I’m heading out. I might do more later!
I started my actual working life at MCI in April 1984, exactly 25 years ago. I had three years of college behind me and I dropped out due to dismal grades, depression and the desire to move with my family in California, rather than remain in Arizona, alone.
I had taken a series of odd and temp jobs with an eye towards something more permanent. I searched the want ads in the Sunday paper and I saw an ad for a Customer Service job, starting at $6.00 per hour, part-time, with benefits.
I had a system for answering ads back then. I eschewed the dinky or amateurish ad, preferring the ones obviously placed by larger corporations. I mailed them a copy of my resume and got a fairly prompt phone call in return. I put on a navy blue skirt, a white blouse and drove the circumference of the Earth to get to my interview.
(I’m looking at all of the anachronisms in just the past two paragraphs. Wow, I’m old.)
I aced the interview and thus began my foray into Corporate America.
Here is a list of stuff that has changed. Some things have changed for the better, some, not. It’s random, just as I’m thinking of it.
1. Janitorial service used to be every day, not just one day per week. That meant you could put really stinky stuff in your trash can and the guys would just take care of it for you. Also, mopping, sweeping, vacuuming and all that other stuff would occur, so you wouldn’t have crud under your feet when you were working.
2. Office furniture used to be really ugly and uncomfortable.
3. Dumb Terminals were used to display computerized records. The screen was black and the text was either green or orange. Turn it off at night or else an image would burn into the CRT.
4. There was no email. Seriously. Memos were distributed on paper, by someone. The first email I ever used was MCIMail. It wasn’t windows based; you had to start your email with slash codes and stuff. You couldn’t send one to anyone who didn’t work at the company.
5. There was a lot of goofing off. It wasn’t dicking around on Facebook, or updating a blog, but it involved walking around with an empty manila folder, as though you were on your way to someone important with something important. You would stop in the break room and BS with someone there, chit-chat with your buddies, or just go outside for a minute for some fresh air.
6. There were a lot of committees back in the day. At the phone company it was called the Sunshine Club. Monthly contributions were made and the committee would see to it that you had cake on your birthday and presents for weddings and births and flowers for funerals. I’m still conflicted about whether or not I miss this. I do miss assembling in the conference room for cake though. No one does that any more.
7. No one would look at you twice if you ordered a glass of wine at lunch. Make it a bottle if you were with a customer.
8. You could smoke at your desk. Even in California.
9. Your boss was your boss. Not your semi-equal colleague with different responsibilities. He or she was higher up on the totem-pole and you knew all about the chain of command. There was not an open door policy.
10. Watch your personal calls. It was the office phone and the office phone bill. There was a phone in the break room for local personal calls. Except that Rick was always on it, talking to his wife about some stupid shit.
11. My headset weighed about six pounds.
12. Word processing was in its infancy, the first program I learned was Word Perfect and when I printed, it came out on paper fed through the printer on two spools. You had to tear the ends off of your paper and separate the pages where they were perforated. There was one font, it was ugly.
13. You could only use the Word Processing for big projects (or for my homework after 5:00 PM.) If you need to type something, you can use that Selectric over there. Oh, and my MS Word doesn’t recognize Selectric as a word. Fuck Me.
14. One of the guys in the office sold coke. No one saw this as a problem.
15. You had to dress up in office attire for work, including pantyhose and heels. (If you were female.) You could wear slacks, if you could find them. Men had to wear long sleeved shirts and ties. Malloy’s Dress for Success made the work day long and uncomfortable for many, many people.
16. The work day was actually 7.5 hours, 9:00 to 5:00 with an hour for lunch and two 15 minute breaks. Try and leave at five now and some smart ass will say, “Working Half Days?”
17. There were a lot more people working then. Typists to type, mail room types to deal with correspondence, receptionists to answer phones and route calls, secretaries to see to the needs of the bosses. Now titles may sound better, but you work twice as much for the recognition.
18. There is a lot more micromanagement now. Mostly because technology makes it easy. Back in the day if you were out in the field, you weren’t reachable. Your boss took it on faith that you were with customers, he or she had to. Actually, I might have been at the mall, or getting a manicure, or sharing a joint with the rest of the account team in the parking lot after the meeting.
19. There were a lot of sales meetings, sales events, trips, team building, dinners and other events that cost a fortune and were very swank. You’d drive somewhere, stay in a beautiful hotel, be wined and dined and walk away from the event knowing that the company valued you and your division. I haven’t seen a good kick-off in a decade. I had a room in Monterrey one time that was directly over the bay. When I opened the window I heard the water lapping at the shore and sea lions barking. Those days are gone.
20. There was never a staff meeting on Friday afternoon. It would interrupt golf.
Okay, it’s five and I’m heading out. I might do more later!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
A quick one!
Everyone is out today and it's been very quiet.
I was left with a crushing workload, or so I thought. When I started wading into it though, I discovered that it was pretty straightforward, and because I had set up the reports earlier, all I had to do was plug numbers in and voila! The reports are done and I'm left trying to find things to do to pass the time.
So that's all there is from here.
I was left with a crushing workload, or so I thought. When I started wading into it though, I discovered that it was pretty straightforward, and because I had set up the reports earlier, all I had to do was plug numbers in and voila! The reports are done and I'm left trying to find things to do to pass the time.
So that's all there is from here.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
"Real" Housewives
What is the deal with the “Real” Housewives? This time I’m talking about New York.
The shit really hit the fan recently, divorce, lay-offs, arrests and just plain craziness.
The Countess, the fourth wife of the Count has been traded in for a younger model. This cracks me up, if he does it with you, he’ll do it to you. The new girl is much younger than the current model, and I’m thinking that she’s just waiting for the old guy to die.
It didn’t take a genius to see that his interests were elsewhere, mostly because he was elsewhere. Hint, if a guy is off ‘on business’ and he doesn’t own a business, most likely, he’s cheating.
I wonder what it’s going to be like for the Countess, not to have an endless supply of money. The house in the Hamptons is for sale, if that tells you anything. Apparently he’s not rich enough to hand her all the property and a bank account. Although he is rich enough to have 4 ex-wives and a mistress…
Then there’s Kelly. One of those women who has about 100 things going on, but none of them are actually real. Writing a column in a free magazine, being an Ambassador for Fashion Week, (not a paying gig, I’m assuming, but even if it is…) For a “fashionista” she wears some pretty ugly stuff. She’s one of those horsey girls and after awhile they all start looking equine to me. She’s got an incredibly inflated view of herself, always late to everything and refusing to allow her name to be used in conjunction with charity events (for someone who goes to an opening of an envelope, quite amusing.) She asked one of the other “Housewives” to have a drink and to discuss an issue she had, and then the amphetamines kicked in and she went off in a really unattractive way. Showed her butt and wore pink, plastic boots in the bargain. She’s a big bag o’crazy.
Betthany is trying to get a BIG career going. Not content to merely make money and live, she’s got a column in the same free mag that Kelly does, as a personal chef specializing in “healthy” cuisine. And low cal cocktails. Um. Okay. She was runner up in Martha Stewart’s Apprentice, she’s on this show. She tags along with her wealthier friends and tries to break into the big-leagues. What I like about Betthany is that what you see is what you get. There’s no hidden agenda, it’s all out there. I don’t see her doing much beyond what she’s doing, and let’s face it, what she does is respectable.
Jill and Ramona are wives with ‘jobs’ that are both tied to their husband’s businesses. Hey, it either is or isn’t work. They lunch, shop, redecorate their houses and fuss over their children. Kind of boring if you ask me.
The idea in the NY show is that none of these women is a housewife; half of them aren’t even married. It’s the social scene that’s on display here and I think you really have to be interested in the whole society thing to be even remotely impressed with any of these women.
To me it looks like they spend their time buying clothing to wear to events that celebrate clothing. Or something like that. Some money might be raised for a charity in there, somewhere, but at the end of the day it seems really, really hollow to me. I never see them sitting around with each other laughing like idiots, like real friends do. I don’t get the impression that any of these women is connected to anyone or anything. It’s just waking up and trying to think of ways to climb a social ladder that more and more seems antiquated and unappealing. Like monarchies. Which leads us back to the Countess. A place you really, really don’t want to be.
The shit really hit the fan recently, divorce, lay-offs, arrests and just plain craziness.
The Countess, the fourth wife of the Count has been traded in for a younger model. This cracks me up, if he does it with you, he’ll do it to you. The new girl is much younger than the current model, and I’m thinking that she’s just waiting for the old guy to die.
It didn’t take a genius to see that his interests were elsewhere, mostly because he was elsewhere. Hint, if a guy is off ‘on business’ and he doesn’t own a business, most likely, he’s cheating.
I wonder what it’s going to be like for the Countess, not to have an endless supply of money. The house in the Hamptons is for sale, if that tells you anything. Apparently he’s not rich enough to hand her all the property and a bank account. Although he is rich enough to have 4 ex-wives and a mistress…
Then there’s Kelly. One of those women who has about 100 things going on, but none of them are actually real. Writing a column in a free magazine, being an Ambassador for Fashion Week, (not a paying gig, I’m assuming, but even if it is…) For a “fashionista” she wears some pretty ugly stuff. She’s one of those horsey girls and after awhile they all start looking equine to me. She’s got an incredibly inflated view of herself, always late to everything and refusing to allow her name to be used in conjunction with charity events (for someone who goes to an opening of an envelope, quite amusing.) She asked one of the other “Housewives” to have a drink and to discuss an issue she had, and then the amphetamines kicked in and she went off in a really unattractive way. Showed her butt and wore pink, plastic boots in the bargain. She’s a big bag o’crazy.
Betthany is trying to get a BIG career going. Not content to merely make money and live, she’s got a column in the same free mag that Kelly does, as a personal chef specializing in “healthy” cuisine. And low cal cocktails. Um. Okay. She was runner up in Martha Stewart’s Apprentice, she’s on this show. She tags along with her wealthier friends and tries to break into the big-leagues. What I like about Betthany is that what you see is what you get. There’s no hidden agenda, it’s all out there. I don’t see her doing much beyond what she’s doing, and let’s face it, what she does is respectable.
Jill and Ramona are wives with ‘jobs’ that are both tied to their husband’s businesses. Hey, it either is or isn’t work. They lunch, shop, redecorate their houses and fuss over their children. Kind of boring if you ask me.
The idea in the NY show is that none of these women is a housewife; half of them aren’t even married. It’s the social scene that’s on display here and I think you really have to be interested in the whole society thing to be even remotely impressed with any of these women.
To me it looks like they spend their time buying clothing to wear to events that celebrate clothing. Or something like that. Some money might be raised for a charity in there, somewhere, but at the end of the day it seems really, really hollow to me. I never see them sitting around with each other laughing like idiots, like real friends do. I don’t get the impression that any of these women is connected to anyone or anything. It’s just waking up and trying to think of ways to climb a social ladder that more and more seems antiquated and unappealing. Like monarchies. Which leads us back to the Countess. A place you really, really don’t want to be.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
We interrupt my boredom...
Sorry I haven't updated, but either I've been on an on-line crossword binge, or burried in Excel spreadsheets.
I never really got to be the new girl. I started the job and jumped right in.
Today my boss is traveling and I don't have a bunch of pressing items, so I've been dicking around on the internet.
The latest big deal in my life is my 30th High School Reunion. Our school was small, fewer than 100 in my graduating class, so they're combining classes to make enough to actually throw a party.
I'm really looking forward to seeing old friends from the past. And also people I know and keep in touch with.
At first we were going to make a big event of it. My sister will come out with us and stay with some family friends. James and I are going to stay at the hotel, even though it is out where Jesus left his sandals, because James wants the option of returning to the room if he gets bored or feels excluded. Fair enough. I was thinking of going to LA to see The Price is Right, or driving up to Sedona, or the Grand Canyon or something to make it worth the hassle of flying across the country. But in the end, who really wants to be in Arizona in August? Now it's just a long weekend.
We're going to my cousin's wedding in NJ in June. We'll be spending as much of our time in NY as we can. I sure hope there aren't a bunch of wedding events, Rehearsal Dinner (where out of towners are fed rubber chicken) or after event brunches. I'm in it for one afternoon/evening the rest of the time I want to be in NY.
Most of my conversation with my family is about clothing. What we have, what we need to buy, what's appropriate. At this moment in time I'll be wearing a dress I've had for 5 years. I wear it on cruises, so it must be okay.
That's the problem with a vacation, it's more fun to plan, the realities are exhausting, uncomfortable and smell weird.
I never really got to be the new girl. I started the job and jumped right in.
Today my boss is traveling and I don't have a bunch of pressing items, so I've been dicking around on the internet.
The latest big deal in my life is my 30th High School Reunion. Our school was small, fewer than 100 in my graduating class, so they're combining classes to make enough to actually throw a party.
I'm really looking forward to seeing old friends from the past. And also people I know and keep in touch with.
At first we were going to make a big event of it. My sister will come out with us and stay with some family friends. James and I are going to stay at the hotel, even though it is out where Jesus left his sandals, because James wants the option of returning to the room if he gets bored or feels excluded. Fair enough. I was thinking of going to LA to see The Price is Right, or driving up to Sedona, or the Grand Canyon or something to make it worth the hassle of flying across the country. But in the end, who really wants to be in Arizona in August? Now it's just a long weekend.
We're going to my cousin's wedding in NJ in June. We'll be spending as much of our time in NY as we can. I sure hope there aren't a bunch of wedding events, Rehearsal Dinner (where out of towners are fed rubber chicken) or after event brunches. I'm in it for one afternoon/evening the rest of the time I want to be in NY.
Most of my conversation with my family is about clothing. What we have, what we need to buy, what's appropriate. At this moment in time I'll be wearing a dress I've had for 5 years. I wear it on cruises, so it must be okay.
That's the problem with a vacation, it's more fun to plan, the realities are exhausting, uncomfortable and smell weird.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Payday
Wow,
I have ended my 3rd week back at work. To make this extra fun, I have a cold. All I want to do is lay around the house and sleep, but I have to get up every day and come to work. To do what? Not much.
Apparently the person who had my job before me made everyone think that pulling reports was a big deal. It's not really.
One of the managers has his reports doing a manual report. I'm to compile each sheet and then do a master sheet, showing the team optics/metrics. So I do this, keeping in mind that it's only as accurate as the spreadsheets I'm getting from the field. The manager sends me a scathing email the gist of which is: this isn't accurate. I call him, since I don't want anything snarky floating around, and explain that the numbers are computed from what I'm sent. I ask him for the hard numbers, and just put them in the blanks, rather than a formula. I fixed the issue in about ten minutes. So there.
This guy loves a report and it's all bullshit. Oh well, it makes the world go 'round and it's what I get paid for.
You really can lie with statistics.
I have ended my 3rd week back at work. To make this extra fun, I have a cold. All I want to do is lay around the house and sleep, but I have to get up every day and come to work. To do what? Not much.
Apparently the person who had my job before me made everyone think that pulling reports was a big deal. It's not really.
One of the managers has his reports doing a manual report. I'm to compile each sheet and then do a master sheet, showing the team optics/metrics. So I do this, keeping in mind that it's only as accurate as the spreadsheets I'm getting from the field. The manager sends me a scathing email the gist of which is: this isn't accurate. I call him, since I don't want anything snarky floating around, and explain that the numbers are computed from what I'm sent. I ask him for the hard numbers, and just put them in the blanks, rather than a formula. I fixed the issue in about ten minutes. So there.
This guy loves a report and it's all bullshit. Oh well, it makes the world go 'round and it's what I get paid for.
You really can lie with statistics.
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